Car-brake.



PATENTBD JUNE 7, 19041. w. 0, MITCHELL & M. GUMMINS.

GAR BRAKE. APPLICATION FILED 00113, 1B03'.

3 SHEETS'SHEET L N0 MODEL.

. 4 k v I I WITNESSE No. 761, 92. PATENTED JUNE 7,1904? w. c; MITCHELL at M. cuMmms.

GAR BRAKE. Arrmoumx nun 00113, 1903.

3 SHEETS- 833312.

in 10mm.

manila No. 761,692. PATENTED JUNE 7, 1904.

w. o. MITGHELL & M. GUMMINS.

CAR BRAKE.

APPLICATION FILED 0011a. 1903.

" I N0 MODEL.

UNITED STATES Patented June '7, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM CLARK MITCHELL AND MARK CUMMINS, OF TRAFFORD PARK,

ENGLAND, ASSIGNORS TO THE WESTINGHOUSE AIR BRAKE COMPANY OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

CAR-BRAKE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 761,692, dated une '7, 1904. Application filed October 13, 1903. Serial N0. l76.846. (No model.)

To all whom it natty concern:

Be it known that we, WILLIAM CLARK MIT- CHELL and MARK CUMMINs, citizens of the United States of America, residing at Trafford Park, in the county of Lancaster, England, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Car-Brakes, of which improvement, the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to brakes for-railway I and like vehicles, and has for its object to provide an exceedingly simple and effective construction of brake-rigging which shall cause the brakes to be applied to the wheels when the operating means is moved in either direction from its normal position.

An important feature of the inventionrelates to the provision of means whereby the brake-blocks are applied with substantially equal pressure to the wheels on each side of the car even though different amounts of wear have occurred and it is necessary to move the brake-blocks'on one side through a greater distance than those on the other side of the car when applying the brakes.

In the accompanyingdrawings, which illustrate our invention, Figure 1 is a longitudinal elevation, partlyin section; Fig.2, a half-plan of one form of the apparatus. Figs. 3 and 4: are similar views of a modification. Fig. 5 is 3 a sideelevationof another modification; and

Figs. 6 and 7 are sectional elevation and plan, respectively, of another arrangement embodying our improvements.

Referring first to Figs. 1 and 2, we secure on each side of the car-frame 1 a bracket 22, adapted to support a horizontal transverse shaft 2, to which are operatively connected pairs of links 3 3 and l 4, having a pin-and-slot connection with the brake-rods 5, as indicated 4 at 6. These brake-rods 5 pass loosely through I ciform piece 9 may be adopted, having arms brackets 7 on the brake-beam and are secured by nuts having rounded surfaces or bearing upon washers 8, provided with a partially spherical or cylindrical surface, as shown. The connection of the links 3 3 and 4 4: may be variously effected; but conveniently a cru-' arm or drum provided on the transverse shaft,

or by means of a system of levers adapted to be moved by the hand or by the foot of the operator or by pneumatic means, all of which, being well known, require no further description.

In the arrangement shown the actuation of the shaft 2 is obtained by means of the trackbrake or rail-shoe 11, which is supported by springs 12 from the bracket 22.andhas a pinand-slot engagement with an arm 13, secured to the shaft 2 or to the cruciform piece 9. Thus it will be seen that when the track-brake is applied to the rail by electromagnetic means, for example, or in any other manner, and is thereby caused to move longitudinally with respect to the car-frame, it will, by means of the slotted arm 13, rotate the shaft 2 and cause the arms 10 of the cruciform piece 9 to act like cranks and impart a pull or thrust to the brake-rods 5, and thus apply the brakes to the wheels by one of each of the pairs of links 3 and 4, depending upon the direction in which the track-brake moves, the other pair of links being rendered inactive by reason of their slotted connection with the brake-rods.

By reason of the rounded contact-surface between the washer 8-and the bracket 7 the brake-rod 5 is enabled to take up a position inclined to either of the links 3 or I, as may be required when the brakes are applied.

In order that all the brake-blocks may be applied with equal force on the wheels of the car, (this, of course, being very.desirable,) we arrange that the transverse shaft 2 shall not be, supported in a cylindrical bearing, but shall have its ends mounted in horizontal slots 23 in the brackets 22. By this means the brake-block, which is first applied to its wheel, will act after the manner of a fulcrum, and

the transverse shaft 2 will take up a position making an angle with the center line of the car until the brake-blocks are also applied to the other wheels of the car.

In place of supporting shaft 2 in a slotted bearing, as described, other devices may be adopted for the purpose of allowing a lateral movement of its pivot. For example, it may be suspended by links loosely hung from the car-frame.

The connection of the brake-rods 5 with the transverse shaft 2 may be effected, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, by providing each at a point approximately midway between the pair of wheel-axles with a box-like portion, which may be constituted, for example, by-a channel-shaped yoke 2 1, the free ends or arms of which are attached to a T-head 25 upon the brake-rod. The box-like portion of one brakerod 5 is disposed side by side with that of the other brake-rod, and the desired pull is imparted to each by means of one or other of two fingers, projections, or cams 26, carried by the transverse shaft 2, one pair of said fingers, projections, or cams being arranged in each box-like portion, but facing in opposite directions. Rotation of the shaft 2, there fore, in either direction causes one or other of each pair of fingers, projections, or cams 26 to exert pressure upon the box-like portion of each of the brake-rods, causing the latter to advance and apply the wheel-shoes.

Fig. 5 shows the wheel-shoes adapted to be applied by a thrust in lieu of a pull. In this example each. brake-rod 5 is adapted to slide in brackets 27, mounted on the truck-frame 1, a transverse shaft 2 being employed similar to that already described. Said shaft 2 is provided with fingers, projections, or cams 28, which coact directly with T-shaped heads or projections 29 on the inner ends of the brake-rods. Springs 30 may be employed to bear against the rear part of the brake-rod heads 29 to hold the wheel-shoes out of action when the parts are in their normal position. The operation of this device is practically the same as that last described, the fingers, projections, or cams 28 when the transverse shaft 2 is rotated causing the brake-rods 5 to experience a thrust instead of a pull, and so apply the brakes. In another construction, which we have illustrated in Figs. 6 and 7, we dispense with the transverse shaft 2 and employ equalizerbeams 14, connected together by a pair of rods 15, lying one above the other on both sides of the vehicle. These rods pass loosely through sleeves 16, secured to the beams 14, and are provided with locknuts, pins, or the like at their outer ends, as is ordinarily employed in such loose connections. Further, these rods 15 are bent at a suitable angle in a vertical plane toward points substantially midway of their length, (see Fig. 6,) at which points alever 13 is pivotally secured to both rods, the actuation of this lever being eifected in any of the ways already described, but here illustrated as being operated by an electromagnetic triurk-brake.

The operation is as follows: \Vhen the track-brake 11 is energized and attracted to the rails, the continued movement of the vehicle displaces the track-ln'ake longitiulinally relatively to the car, and thus turns or partially rotates lever 13 in the plane of the rods 15, causing the upper rod at one end and the lower rod at the other end to exert a pull upon the equalizer-beams 1 1, which in consequence advance and make contact with the beams 18, which carry the brake-blocks and apply the. brakes, the other correspolnling ends of the rods 15 moving through their sleeves 16. In this example also we have illustrated how the wheel-brakes may be applied by hand, which application simultaneously applies the trackbrake when the latter is not energized. As illustrated, the means for effecting this eomprise a lever 19, pivoted at 20 to the brakebeam 18, there being a connection 21, forked to engage the lever 19 and extending between said lever and the equalizer-beam '11-. By this arrangement,when by operating the handbrake either lever 19 is pulled in the direction of the arrow, so as to apply the brake-blocks to the wheels, its equalizer-beam 14- is forced to move away from the brake-beam 18, and thereby exerts a pull on the rods 15. This pull being transmitted to the brake-beam 18 at the other end of the car causes the brakeblocks at said other end of the ear to be applied to the wheels. The rods '15 then become straightened and force the track-ln'ake 11 onto the rails.

It will now be seen that in all of these constructions the arm l3'eomprises substmitially a floating arm or lever having a verticallyadjustable connection with the track-brake or rail-shoe and other intermediate cmmeetions with the wheel-shoes or brake-beams at opposite ends of the truck for applying said wheel-shoes with substantially equal pressure when the arm is operated in either direction from its normal position.

Various other modifications embodying these principles may be designed, and it is to be understood that this invention is not limited to the particular designs shown, but also includes all such modified forms.

Having now described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A car-brake mechanism, comprising a floating arm or lever having intermediate connections with the wheel-shoes at opposite ends of the truck for applying said wheel-shoes when said arm is operated in either direction from its normal position, and means for moving said arm in either direction.

2. A ear-brake mechanism, comprising a railshoe, a floating lever operated in either direction by the longitudinal movement of the rail-shoe, and intermediate connections bei tween said lever and the wheel-shoes for applying the said wheel-shoes when the lever is moved in either direction from its normal position.

3. A car-brake mechanism, comprlsmg a rail-shoe, an arm or lever operated by the longitudinal movement of the rail-shoe, a rockshaft operated by said arm, and intermediate connections between the rock-shaft and the wheel-shoes for applying the said wheel-shoes when the arm is moved in either direction from its normal position. I

4. A car-brake mechanism comprising a rail-shoe and a plurality of wheel-shoes, an

arm or lever operated by the longitudinal movement of the rail-shoe, a rock-shaft operated by said arm and havinga longitudinallymovable pivot, and intermediate connections between said rock-shaft and wheel-shoes.

5. A car-brake mechanism, comprising a rail-shoe and a plurality of wheel-shoes, a latdirection from its normal position.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto set our hands.

' WILLIAM CLARK MITCHELL.

-MARK OUMMINS. Witnessesz.

M. S. KENYoN, J AS. STEWART BROADFOOT. 

